MIT | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Best College

Quick Stats

77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139: [map]

Phone: (617) 253-1000

2011-2012 Tuition

$40,732: tuition and fees

Students

4,299: enrolled

55%: male /

45%: female

Admissions

Jan. 1: application deadline

10.1%: accepted

More Information

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U.S. News Rankings

Ranking score and category

U.S. News rank	Category Name
#5	National Universities

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Summary

Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private institution that was founded in 1861. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 4,299, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 168 acres. It utilizes a 4-1-4-based academic calendar. Massachusetts Institute of Technology's ranking in the 2012 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 5. Its tuition and fees are $40,732 (2011-12).

MIT is located in Cambridge, Mass., across the Charles River from downtown Boston. Only freshmen students are required to live on campus, but about 70 percent of students choose to remain on campus during their four years. MIT offers housing in one of the coolest dorms in the country, commonly called "The Sponge," designed by architect Steven Holl. The MIT Engineers boast more than 30 NCAA Division III Teams, and their mascot is a beaver, which MIT chose because of its "remarkable engineering and mechanical skill and its habits of industry." Each class designs a unique ring called the "Brass Rat" that is revealed during sophomore year, a tradition that dates back to 1929.

MIT focuses on scientific and technological research and is divided into five schools and one college. Among its graduate schools are the highly ranked School of Engineering and Sloan School of Management, in addition to strong programs in economics, psychology, biology, chemistry, earth sciences, physics, and mathematics. Research expenditures at MIT for 2009 exceeded $700 million, with funding coming from government agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Defense. The "Independent Activities Program," a four-week term between fall and spring semesters in January, offers special courses, lectures, competitions, and projects. Distinguished alumni include Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, and Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Ben Bernanke.

School mission (as provided by the school):

The essence of MIT is our appetite for problems-especially those big, intractable, complicated problems whose solutions make a permanent difference. While MIT is a research university committed to world-class inquiry in math, science, and engineering, MIT has equally distinguished programs in the architecture, the humanities, management, and the social sciences. A diverse, supportive campus environment-with an incredible range of student groups and athletic and fitness opportunities-ensures that it's not all about the work. And in MIT's intensely creative atmosphere, the arts flourish in all their forms.

MIT admits some of the most talented students in the world on a need-blind basis. The Institute is committed to meeting the financial need of each admitted undergraduate student through MIT scholarships; the average student scholarship was almost $30,000 per year in 2010. As a result, the MIT community is incredibly diverse, and organically collaborative, with students coming from many different backgrounds, across the country and around the world.

Students are frequently encouraged to unite MIT's engineering excellence with public service. For example, the required senior capstone design course for mechanical engineering majors centers on making the world a better place through engineering. Recent years have focused on projects using alternative forms of energy, and machines that could be used for sustainable agriculture. Beyond academic coursework, MIT's D-Lab, Poverty Action Lab, and Public Service Center all support students and professors in the research and implementation of culturally sensitive and environmentally responsible technologies and programs that alleviate poverty and improve quality of life in low-income areas locally, nationally, and worldwide.

The MIT community brings its energy and creativity outside the classroom as well with 400+ student-run groups, 33 varsity sports, 20 intramural sports, 30 club sports, and over 500 arts-related events on campus each year. Campus is just a short walk across the Charles River to Boston where students can enjoy the city's fabulous restaurants or take in Boston culture. Many programs around MIT allow students to get reduced-price tickets to various events, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the American Repertory Theater, and Bruins, Celtics, and Red Sox games. Students get free admission daily to the Museum of Science, the Museum of Fine Arts, and all Harvard University and MIT museums.

General Information

School type	private, coed college
Year founded	1861
Religious affiliation	N/A
Academic calendar	4-1-4
Setting	urban
2010 Endowment	$8,317,321,000

Applying

When applying to Massachusetts Institute of Technology, it's important to note the application deadline is January 1, and the early action deadline is November 1. Scores for either the ACT or SAT test are due February 15. The application fee at Massachusetts Institute of Technology is $75. It is most selective, with an acceptance rate of 10.1 percent and an early acceptance rate of 10.4 percent.

For more information about the tests, essays, interviews, and admissions process, visit the Applying to College knowledge center.

Selectivity	most selective
Fall 2010 acceptance rate	10%
Application deadline	January 1
SAT/ACT scores must be received by	February 15

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Academic Life

The student-faculty ratio at Massachusetts Institute of Technology is 8:1, and the school has 62.6 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at Massachusetts Institute of Technology include: Engineering; Computer Science; Biological and Biomedical Sciences; Mathematics, General; and Physical Sciences. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 97.5 percent.

Class sizes

Student-faculty ratio

8:1

4-year graduation rate

84% - High

Five most popular majors for 2010 graduates

Engineering	39%
Computer Science	13%
Biological and Biomedical Sciences	10%
Mathematics, General	10%
Physical Sciences	10%

More About Academic Life

Student Life

Massachusetts Institute of Technology has a total undergraduate enrollment of 4,299, with a gender distribution of 54.7 percent male students and 45.3 percent female students. 93.0 percent of the students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing and 7.0 percent of students live off campus. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is part of the NCAA III athletic conference.

See what students are saying about life at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Total enrollment	10,566
Student gender distribution

Undergraduate men who are members of a fraternity

Undergraduate women who are members of a sorority

Collegiate athletic association	NCAA III

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Campus Info & Services

Massachusetts Institute of Technology offers a number of student services including nonremedial tutoring, placement service, day care, health service, and health insurance. Massachusetts Institute of Technology also offers campus safety and security services like 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, late night transport/escort service, 24-hour emergency telephones, lighted pathways/sidewalks, and controlled dormitory access (key, security card, etc). Of the students at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 3 percent have cars on campus. Alcohol is permitted for students of legal age at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Students who have cars on campus	3% - Low
Health insurance offered	Yes
Students required to own/lease a computer	No

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Paying for School

At Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 64.0 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $35,266.

Paying for college doesn't have to be difficult or devastating. Go to the Paying for College knowledge center to get advice on raising cash and reducing costs.

Tuition and fees	$40,732 (2011-12)
Room and board	$11,775 (2011-12) - High
Financial aid statistics

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Student Reviews Ratings data provided by Unigo

There are a lot of unusual things about MIT that few people know. One of the best, in my opinion, is the amount of freedom the students are allowed to have. It seems like the higher-ups trust us to take care of ourselves. There are many dorms where you are allowed to paint the walls however you want, have cats, and generally you're allowed much more privacy than in many of the other college dorms I've visited. Another unusual aspect of the social scene is that there's a pretty pronounced split between "east campus" and "west campus". The personalities of the living communities are very different, allowing you to make a choice about the type of college experience you want to have - its almost as if they're two different colleges. The east campus culture is very well-developed; it's a great community, and a lot of fun. I don't know much about west campus. MIT is very challenging. While I loved the experience, you're definitely going to learn to manage your time, and you're going to have to learn to relax to some extent. MIT will teach you, above all, that you can't do everything perfect, and you're not the most clever person in the universe. Cambridge is a great place to spend time, and there are so many other college students in the area - Boston is almost like one huge college itself. If you manage to get out much, you can meet so meet a lot of great people; more than you could expect of most college towns.

Carrie Senior

The best thing about MIT is it's collaborative atmosphere. There are thousands of students who spent all of high school striving to be the best at everything we did, and then we get to MIT and you just can't survive on your own. Even the most antisocial person can be found at a professor's office hours with other students. P-setting (doing homework) until the early hours of the morning is one of the best ways to get to know people. MIT is a good size. It's not so small that you know everyone, but there are definitely ways to meet and get to know lots of people. It's not so huge that it's overwhelming, but there are places you can go where you won't know anyone, and there are lots of things to get involved with. People have different reactions, depending on whether they know what MIT is or not. Some have said "oh, where's that?" which is amusing. Those who do know, usually are pretty impressed. I spend a lot of time in lounges doing work. Or walking. I do a lot of walking because it's a very spread out campus...and I live in the dorm that is furthest from main campus (besides Fraternities and Sororities). Boston is an awesome college town. A lot of people who graduated from my class in high school are close by (7 out of 42) and there are lots of things to do in the city. MIT's administration could do a little better by it's students. They've lately been making big decisions that effect the students without letting the much less the student body president, much less the student body, what was going on. The biggest recent controversy would probably be the renovation of one of the graduate dorms into an undergrad dorm. However, instead of doing small renovations and making it available to undergrads next term, it won't be available for another two years. They're also adding a dining hall and not putting in any kitchens, a decision made without consulting those who would have to live there. Anything unusual about MIT...pretty much everything. Majors are Courses and they're numbered. All the classes, buildings, and rooms are numbered. We have no real dining plan, which can be frustrating. I'm only a freshman, so I haven't had too many super cool experiences yet, but I'd have to say that walking down the Infinite Corridor in the middle of the night singing the Elephant Love Medley from Moulin Rouge at the top of my lungs will definitely be up there. Most frequent student complaints are about not getting enough sleep, or the administration.

Nora Freshman

MIT is a wild place with intense subcultures. The housing system is somewhat unique and results in strong dorm cultures. Through a prolonged lottery system, new students are given the opportunity to choose one of MIT's many dorms, live there temporarily during resident exploration period, and then opt to either stay or try to lottery into a preferred dorm. Although some students find the process stressful (while others think it's a blast), the opportunity that it gives each student to find a place for him or herself is priceless. On a larger scale, students usually live all four years in their chosen home, resulting in a close-knit community of students who are at least somewhat akin. MIT is generally very hands-off, tends to let students do their own thing. This is an example where it seems to be a good thing. Naturally, there is a flip side. MIT will not take care of you. Where I live, East Campus, we are allowed to do practically whatever we want: paint the walls, do all sorts of crazy electronic projects, etc. However, when it comes to, say, feeding ourselves, we are on our own. There is no communal cafeteria at MIT. Some of the dorms have their own and the meals are subsidized for their residents, but for a resident of my dorm it would not only be inconvenient to eat at Baker Dining, but also financially unsustainable for most. As a result, we are left to scavenge or cook for ourselves. To be fair, it is a point of pride in my dorm to be independent in this way, a love of tough love.

Anna Junior

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* Overview details based on 2010 data

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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Summary

General Information

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